Council Quickies: Updates on Supportive Housing, New Transit Authority

Charlotte City Council met Monday night for an action review update on two topics the body had previously been briefed on, followed by a quick business meeting.

On the Agenda:

• Supportive Housing Update
• Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority Update
• BofA Stadium Music Venue

Supportive Housing Update

Last week, we reported on the introduction of two proposed developments defined as “supportive housing and shelter capacity,” a category for which council has allocated $9 million in Housing Trust Fund dollars.  

The Dream Center Campus would comprise 32 transitional homes with six bedrooms in each, totaling 192 rooms meant for unaccompanied young adults, folks experiencing chronic homelessness, displaced families and individuals in reentry.  

Charlotte Mecklenburg Dream Center (CMDC), a nonprofit founded by local restaurateur Jim Noble, is asking that the city pitch in $2 million for the construction of the 15-acre campus located on the north side of Freedom Drive between Toddville and Little Rock roads. 

Built out in three phases, the campus will eventually include a playground, recreation facilities and green space. Onsite services will also include life- and job-skill training, with a teaching kitchen, community garden and woodworking area located on campus.

CMDC will also partner with Charlotte Works on workforce development opportunities for residents, working with local partners such as Precision Plumbing and Interstate Electric Company, Inc. Residents will also be offered daycare and telehealth services on the property. 

At last week’s meeting, council member LaWana Mayfield voiced her unequivocal opposition to the project due to Jim Noble’s involvement, citing a situation that occurred in 2022 in which a dispute between the restaurateur and the neighboring owners of Good Life at Enderly Park ended with the Good Life owners closing their business. 

On Monday, Rebecca Hefner with Housing & Neighborhood Services confirmed that Noble is the founder of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Dream Center nonprofit behind the proposed campus and, while Noble is not involved on a day-to-day basis, his Noble Food and Pursuits company would be involved in some of the onsite programming.

Mayfield held steadfast in her opposition on Monday but, in recognizing that most of her colleagues support the project, asked that the city ensure that individuals are not forced to sit through religious indoctrination programming in order to participate in and receive benefits from the housing program. 

She said she’s spoken to people who have experienced such things, to which Hefner responded that the city has nondiscrimination policies that apply to any project that receives city funding so she would like to be made aware of any thing of the sort happening in part or future programs.

Last week’s second supportive housing proposal involved a Mecklenburg County project that would convert an existing Microtel Inn & Suites in north Charlotte into a supportive housing facility with wraparound services for folks experiencing homelessness.   

The county is requesting $4.25 million, or half of the total project cost, from the city. According to city staff, $5.5 million of the total cost will go toward acquisition while the other $3 million would go toward renovations. The county would be in charge of ongoing maintenance of the property after that.  

The facility would include 62 single-bed rooms, a percentage of which would be reserved for referrals from direct outreach organizations that work on the ground with residents living in encampments and the like. 

Reps raised questions last week about why the hotel conversion project carried such a high price per bed. On Monday, Hefner explained that supportive housing developments take more investment because there will be no rent collected on the back end to help make up losses. 

Unrelated to the two proposed projects, Hefner informed council during the discussion that Salvation Army’s Booth Commons Family Center, the city’s only family shelter, is currently closed for renovations with unexpected costs arising. She said council should expect recommendations to be coming soon from staff to address that issue.

Most council members on Monday voiced their support for both projects after having last week’s questions around cost answered. They discussed the dire need for supportive housing while pointing out that both of the proposals will take a while to open and will only make a dent in the problem.

Mayor Lyles referenced the opening of Moore Place in 2012 as a shining example of a supportive housing complex in Charlotte that, when it was proposed, made people “afraid” but “many of us wouldn’t even know where it is now. You drive by and you don’t even think about it.”

Council will vote on these and other proposed affordable housing developments at its Oct. 27 meeting. Discussing those, council rep Dimple Ajmera referenced reporting from the Charlotte Ledger on Monday that found a lack of follow-through on affordable housing commitments in The Pearl. She asked that the city find better ways to hold developers accountable to their commitments on a timely basis.

Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority Update

Council then moved on to the appointment process for the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority, which will become the new governing body overseeing public transit in Mecklenburg County if the transit tax is approved by voters next month. 

James ‘Smuggie’ Mitchell said there were 126 applicants as of Monday afternoon, with the deadline set for midnight.

According to Mitchell, the city will use Survey Monkey to choose the top three applicants in nine categories, creating a ranking system that will end with 27 top-scoring finalists who will then be interviewed by council members from Oct. 27-31.

Each rep will nominate one applicant per category, with final votes from the full council scheduled for Nov. 24, unless the referendum does not pass on Nov. 4, in which case the MPTA won’t convene at all.

Tepper S&E Music Venue

Council voted on a number of items to allow Tepper Sports & Entertainment (TSE) to begin the renovations on Bank of America Stadium that were 

The most notable of the votes involved a lease agreement that will clear the way for construction of a 4,400-seat music venue next to Bank of America Stadium. The development would be part of TSE’s stadium upgrades and field house project and would not require any additional public funding. 

Located on about 2 acres north of the stadium, the venue would expect to host between 80-100 shows per year, filling a void of music venues between the size of The Fillmore (2,000) and Bojangles Coliseum (8,600).

Council approved the lease unanimously. The venue is expected to be finished along the same timeline as the rest of the Bank of America Stadium renovation project in 2029.

Charlotte City Council will hold its monthly zoning meeting on Oct. 20.